Holt County Courthouse

The county court and the district court (Box 755) are each part of their respective Eighth judicial district of Nebraska. They are both located in the Holt County courthouse. Holt is a large county and US 281 will take you a long way through it traveling the length of the county. US 20 goes across the whole width of the county and meets with US 281 and SR 11. SR 95 connects US 281 with SR 11.

Relations between early settlers and Indians in the county to a large degree were amicable. There was more trouble by the settlers with the so called "pony boys" an armed group of horse thieves who stole, herded and sold horses and ponies until they were stopped around 1879 by the breakup of one of the larger gangs. The city of O'Neill was founded by a a native of Ireland and veteran of the American Civil War. Many Irish immigrants to Nebraska had come to The United States earlier to escape famine and economic distress and were subsequently lured to O'Neill by its founder to get away from the overcrowded cities of the East. Since many of them had settled in this city, the governor of Nebraska, in 1969, declared it the Irish Capital of Nebraska. You know they are going to celebrate St. Patricks Day in a big way here and they do. From the painting of the Shamrock at 4th and Douglas street, to the Irish music at the O’Neill Community Center, to the doings the day before and the big parade itself. There are five parks in this city. One of which has ballfields, one with soccer fields, one of which has the community swimming pool and one with camping spaces.